Tag Archives: buildings

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Travel

Venice Canal, Evening

Image September 14, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

During our August visit to Venice we stayed in a little place that was perfectly situated. It was outside of the zone of maximum tourists and the a bit quieter, yet there were restaurants nearby and we could easily walk to just about any place we wanted to go. It was also directly on one of the canals, and our room had windows overlooking it. (Our windows actually appear in the photograph.)

I made this photograph at that wonderful hour of the day when there is still some light in the sky, but when it is getting dark enough that lights are starting to switch on here and there. On opposite sides of the canal and in the distance you can see lit openings where water taxis can pick up and drop off clients. (At our hotel this was nicely outfitted with four comfortable seats, making it a perfect place to sit and watch things pass on the water.)

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fa

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Croatia, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Trogir Street, Early Morning

Image September 10, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A (nearly-) empty early-morning street in Trogir, Croatia.

Trogir, Croatia is located not far from the city of Split. (It is not too far from the Split airport, as any visitor will note after watching and listening to planes on approach over the town.) It is a very old town and quite a striking place, with buildings and narrow streets constructed from local stone. Its history goes back over 2000 years, and these days it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a well-known location from the Game of Thrones franchise and, not doubt partly as a result, a very popular place with tourists. The latter can be an issue, especially in such a small town, and during the daytime it can be really crowded.

My friend and Croatian fellow photographer Franka Mlikota Gabler was visiting while we were there, and she suggested meeting before sunrise for some early morning — and crowd-free! — photography. Aside from people setting up restaurants and shops or making deliveries, or tourists heading out to catch early flights from the Split airport, the place was almost deserted. I photographed this narrow street while it was early enough that the blue hour light still suffused the narrow passageways.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Woman, Empty Venice Street

Image September 9, 2023 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The whole concept of “travel” is complex and, I think, fraught with trade-offs and contradictions. The world is a huge place, far too big to fully experience and see all of it in a lifetime. Do we go to many places and experience each of them less fully? Or do we got to fewer places and try for a deeper experience with those? I don’t have the answer — just the question. Our visit to Venice on this trip relates to that question as, even though we had been to Italy before, we had not ever been to this remarkable — and now tourist-filled and other wise endangered — city. Part of us did not want to go there, given the issues with modern Venice, but another part of us thought, “Venice! How could you NOT go there at least once!” So we went.

The place is just as crowded as you have heard and possibly seen for yourself. But it is also just as remarkable as you have heard. Arriving there for the first time (a story I’ll share in more detail later) was one of the most remarkable moments of our trip. But those crowds! Fortunately, we stayed in a place that was outside the main tourist zone — yet close enough to get to places we wanted to visit quickly. On this morning I went out early, when almost no other tourists were out. It was possible to photograph empty streets or, as in this case, individuals passing through this remarkable place.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (Click the title to see the full article and to comment if you are viewing it on the home page.)

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Buildings, Porto

Image August 25, 2023 G Dan Mitchell 2 Comments

Based on our three-day visit, Porto is a fascinating city. I’m no expert on Portugal, but it is my understanding that the country was one of the least wealthy in Europe and that it was sort of neglected — but more recently it has become quite a popular destination. The attractions are many: fascinating food, sunny shoreline, port (!), general friendliness to English-speakers. We spent time here in Porto and then in Lisbon, and they have so far been among our favorite destinations on this trip.

While Porto has plenty of modern, sophisticated stuff… it is also still full of old, run-down-looking neighborhoods with buildings suggesting better days in the past. (And, from what I hear, now there is a lot of redevelopment of these older areas, which brings its own controversies.) The building in this photograph must have once been quite nice, but today it looks like its best days are behind it — yet, look at that characteristic tile work and more and this building seems like it could be part of the Porto revitalization.